Paragraphing Part 2

This video forms Part 2 in a series on paragraphing. Part 1 looked at using one idea per paragraph, as described in each paragraph's topic sentence. This video will now look at two other ingredients of a good paragraph: cohesion and coherence.

Coherence

Let’s look at coherence in a paragraph. Once you have written your topic sentence, all the other sentences in the paragraph need to develop that idea and directly relate to it to in order to make the paragraph coherent. ‘Coherence’ refers to the logical order of the information in your paragraph; that is, how one idea leads logically to the next.

Here is a structure commonly used for paragraphs in academic writing. It starts with a topic sentence and then goes on to provide support, example or details. Notice how each sentence supports a previous idea.

  1. Topic Sentence
    1. Supporting statement 1
      1. Support, examples, or details
      2. Further support, examples, or details
    2. Supporting statement 2
      1. Support, examples, or details
      2. Further support, examples, or details

It’s a good idea to use an outline like this to plan the structure of each paragraph. For example, when the ideas are added, the outline would look like this:

  1. The terms ‘net generation’ and ‘digital native’ are under critical scrutiny.
    1. Bennett et al. (2008) raise questions about the terms
      1. the debate is overly dramatic
      2. it’s too focused on oppositions
    2. Bayne and Ross (2007) are unsure about the pressures on schools because
      1. arguments are forcing institutions to change
      2. each person is fixed by their generation

Once you have your ideas in place, you can then write the sentences out in full like this:

  1. Recently the idea of a Net generation and the term Digital Native has come under some critical scrutiny.
    1. Bennett et al. (2008) have argued that there are still significant questions surrounding the main claims.
      1. They maintain that the debate can be compared to an academic form of ‘moral panic’ in which arguments are expressed in overly dramatic language.
      2. They also note that this academic panic is associated with polarized arguments in which descriptions rely on oppositions between digital natives and digital immigrants (Bennett et al., 2008 pp. 782-783).
    2. Bayne and Ross (2007) are equally sceptical about the nature of the claims made about the pressures arising in education from a new generation of Digital Natives.
      1. They suggest that the arguments lead to a one-way determinism, forcing institutions and teachers to change.
      2. They further note a paradox at the centre of this debate because each person is fixed by their generational position: you either are or you are not a ‘native’.

The final form of your paragraph should be set out with either a line between each paragraph or a five-space indentation at the beginning of each paragraph, but not both.

Of course there are several other ways of structuring a paragraph. Check out the links below to find out more on this.

Cohesion

Now let’s look at the other ingredient for a good paragraph: cohesion. ‘Cohesion’ refers to how your sentences are linked together through different grammatical devices such as conjunctions, linkers and pronouns.

You have probably studied common cohesive devices such as sequencing words and linking words. In addition to these, we also use words to refer back to information within the paragraph. This adds to a sense of cohesion.

Let’s look again at the paragraph about the Net Generation and examine the words in bold. You can pause this video if you need more time to do so.

Recently the idea of a Net generation and the term Digital Native has come under critical scrutiny. Bennett et al. (2008) have argued that there are still significant questions surrounding the main claims. They go on to maintain that the debate can be compared to an academic form of ‘moral panic’ in which arguments are expressed in overly dramatic language. They also note that this academic panic is associated with polarized arguments in which descriptions rely on oppositions between digital natives and digital immigrants (Bennett et al. 2008, pp. 782-783). Bayne and Ross (2007) are equally sceptical about the nature of the claims made about the pressures arising in education from a new generation of Digital Natives. They suggest that the arguments lead to a one-way determinism forcing institutions and teachers to change.  They further note a paradox at the centre of this debate because each person is fixed by their generational position and either is or is not a ‘native’.

Look at the four examples of the word ‘they’. Who does ‘they’ refer back to? Pronouns like ‘they’ refer back to previous nouns that we have mentioned. It adds cohesion and minimises the repetition of words within the text.

Look next at the word ‘this’. What does ‘this’ refer to? Again, it refers back to previous information and avoids repetition of that information.

Now look at the instances of ‘which’. These also link current to previous information without the need for repetition.

Referring back to previous ideas helps a reader follow an argument through a paragraph. It also helps the writer have more variety within the text by avoiding the repetition of words or phrases.

Summary

Writing a good paragraph is one of the most important aspects of academic writing. To summarise, there are four main points that you should keep in mind when writing them:

  • Firstly, make sure that you have only one topic per paragraph. If you change topic, create a new paragraph.
  • Secondly, use a topic sentence to state the topic or purpose of your paragraph, usually towards the beginning of the paragraph.
  • Thirdly, consider the coherence and logical order within the paragraph. This can be done by writing an outline first.
  • Finally, consider the cohesion of your paragraph by using some of the techniques identified in this video - such as conjunctions, linkers and pronouns to refer backwards and forwards to other ideas.

If you haven’t already done so, you might like to review the videos and exercises for conjunctions and linkers, as these words are important for a well-written paragraph.

This video series has provided an introduction to paragraphing. You will find exercises on this topic below.

Reference

Net generation or Digital Natives: Is there a distinct new generation entering university? Retrieved fromhttp://oro.open.ac.uk/19890/4/8CE